The gift of life
by Monkeymad1
Summary: An alternate take on Casualty's series 25 episode 33/34.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N okay so this is an idea I got after watching the episode 'Momentum', it's basically an alternate take on it but where Polly doesn't die-mostly written in first person from Polly's point of view. P.s. I have dyslexia, so I apologise for any spelling/grammar issues. Enjoy and please and review **

I'd only been trying to help her...this wasn't what I expected! The knife was still in my chest; I knew that if I could stop her from pulling it out that my chances of survival would be a lot higher.

"Hannah! Hannah, its okay, you can still help me" I pause for a split second, thinking about what to say next. I have to think carefully about what I say to her, my life is literally hanging in the balance. "Don't pull the knife out, alright? Its stopping the blood flow"

She looks at me, her face a mixture of fear, anger and guilt "I can't help you" she says, walking off in the opposite direction, leaving me alone in the basement corridor.

"No, no! Hannah come back! Please come back…" what do I do now? I'm alone, my phone's in the other room from when I was talking to Dylan.

"Help! Someone help me!" I yell, as loud as I can manage, hoping someone will hear me.

My cries for help must have worked, as I see a young girl, 5 or 6 years old perhaps, walking down the corridor towards me. How did she get down here? Right now, that is the least of my worries.

She walks over, kneeling down beside me and puts her hand on mine. "How do I get help for you?"

I look at her, she really wants to help me "You see those stairs over there?" she nods and I continue "Run up them, and you'll be in the hospital reception. Go to the desk and tell them there's been a stabbing in the basement. Tell them it's Polly. Can you remember all of that?" she nods again, but seems reluctant to leave "Good girl, thank you. I'll be alright, just go and get help!"

She runs off towards the stairs, glancing back at me a few times as she does so.

The young girl, Maya, reaches the top of the stairs and opens the door. As she walks in, she heads towards the reception desk, knocking on it impatiently.

"Can't it wait for a minute? I'm very busy here you know" the receptionist, Noel, says to her.

"No! It can't wait, it's an emergency!" this gets Noel's attention and he looks properly at Maya "There's a girl in the basement, she's hurt. She's been stabbed! She said to tell you her name was Polly"

"Polly? Okay, okay, I'll send someone down there. Dixie, Jeff"

"Yes Noel?" Dixie answers, smiling at Maya.

"We're going to need a trolley to the basement, there's been a stabbing" he pauses for a moment before speaking again "It's Polly"

Dixie is stunned, as is Jeff "Right, we're going, come on Jeffrey!"

"Wait, take Maya, she knows where she is. She told me in the first place"

Jeff speaks up, lifting Maya onto the trolley "Okay, come on then kiddo"

I can only hope that she remembered what I told her to do, and that help is on the way.

The blood is seeping from the stab wound quickly now, but there's nothing I can do without moving the knife and worsening the blood flow.

Suddenly, I hear the lift doors opening and I automatically look up.

"There she is! Polly, Polly, I got help, just like you told me to" she smiles, then frowning when she sees the blood on my hands.

"Thanks, Maya, can you just hang back sweetheart? We need some space so we can treat her, okay? Good girl" Dixie says, ushering her back to the lift where she waits obediently.

"Polly, can you hear me?" Jeff asks me and I nod "Alright, good girl, we're gonna get you on the trolley and get you upstairs, yeah? We'll get you fixed up, don't you worry princess"

"Okay, on three Jeff…1, 2, 3!" I feel myself being lifted onto the trolley and I breathe a sigh of relief.

30 minutes later…

"Yes! Okay, she's still very ill, but she will make it. There may be some complications, but we won't know for sure until she wakes up"


	2. Chapter 2

I wake up in ITU (Intensive Treatment Unit), squinting at the harsh overhead lighting.

Remembering what has happened, I groan and try to sit up. But as I attempt to do this, I realise that I can't move. So, I try something simpler; just to move my head to take in my surroundings. When I can't even do this, I begin to panic, allowing tears to roll down my face. What is happening to me?

Jeff notices this and moves so he is in my line of vision, putting his hand on my head and stroking my hair.

"Hey" he smiles "you're awake, welcome back princess!"

"What's going on? Why can't I move?" I cry, becoming increasingly frightened and frustrated.

"It's alright, Polly, it's alright. They've done all the scans and they all came back clear. Temporary paralysis can sometimes be a response to stress or anxiety. There's nothing wrong with you, this is just your body's way of trying to protect you" Dixie adds, smiling gently at me "it won't last long"

She is right, of course she is. After a few minutes, my movement has returned to normal and I am able to sit up.

I wince, automatically placing my hands onto my chest where the stab wound is healing.

"Alright, Pol. You in pain love?" Dixie asks, beckoning a nurse over. I nod; the pain is beginning to make me feel nauseous and dizzy.

A nurse comes and tops up my pain relief, which instantly makes a big difference as it immediately starts to take effect.

"Okay, you just take it easy, yeah? You have just had major surgery!" Dixie says to me, smiling and taking my hand in hers.

Even from this short, simple conversation and the effort of sitting up, I am exhausted. All I want to do right now is sleep.

I suddenly think of Maya, the little girl who got help for me. "Maya…" I mumble, hoping Dixie and Jeff will understand what I'm getting at.

"Maya? That kid?" Jeff replies "she's gone home, but she said she would come in later to see you and make sure you're alright…Pol, you look shattered, babe, you should get some sleep"

I don't reply, just let my eyelids flutter shut as sleep begins to take over, I can't fight it off anymore.

_Dixie P.O.V_

As if on cue, Maya and her mother appear outside the doors to ITU.

She sees me and Jeff and jumps up and down excitedly.

"Where's Polly, where's Polly? Is she better? Can I see her yet?"

"Not just yet, sweetie, she's sleeping. Shall we go and get a drink and leave Polly to get some rest?"

She nods, and then smiles broadly at me "Look, I made a picture for her! It's to make her feel better…and mummy helped me write a get well soon card. And, and I want to give her this" she explains, ferreting around in her pockets "its magic, and it will make her get better!"

"That's lovely, Maya. Why don't you hang onto those for now, and you can give them to her later?"

"Okay. Can we go and get a drink now? I'm thirsty…" I can't help but smile back at her, she really is adorable, and she saved Polly's life by going to get help.

While Jeff and Maya go to get the drinks, I grab the opportunity to speak to Maya's mother, Isobel.

"You should be really proud of your daughter, she saved Polly's life! We can't thank her enough; she really is an incredible child, a credit to you."

_Polly P.O.V_

I awake to the sound of Maya's voice "She's awake, she's awake! Polly!" she shouts, running over to me and hugging me.

"Woah! Steady on, Maya, you don't want to hurt her…" Isobel laughs, coming over to join us.

"No, no, she's alright" I smile "I never thanked you, did I? Thank you, Maya, for going to get help for me. I can't thank you enough"

"That's okay" Maya replies "I'd do it again if I had to…Polly, look! I made you this picture; it will help you to feel better more quickly. My mummy helped to make the get well soon card for you, and this is for you too. It's a magic pebble that I found in the garden…" her voice tails off as she reaches over to hug me again.

I beam at her, returning the hug and thanking her for her gifts. She really is a lovely, brilliant little girl. After all, if she hadn't found me, I might not be here now…


	3. Chapter 3

I lie awake in my bed in ITU, staring at the ceiling. Dixie and Jeff are still here with me most of the time; but Maya and her mum had to go home, though she promised to visit me again soon. She really is a fantastic kid, if not for her I wouldn't be here now!

Taking a deep breath, I try to sit up but can't quite manage on my own yet; my balance still isn't back to normal, and I need someone to help me sit up.

Dixie spots me struggling to sit up and comes over, supporting me and making sure I'm alright before sitting down next to me "Alright Pol?" she asks, frowning at me when she sees me squinting then squeezing my eyes tightly shut "you dizzy?"

I try to nod, but that only makes the nausea worse. I can feel my balance wavering, my weakened body is unable to hold itself up for long periods of time "Yeah, I'll be okay though"

"You're not though, are you? Come on, lie back down and I'll try and track down a doctor…" she insists, helping me to lie down then going out of the room to look for somebody.

"Dixie…" I start to protest, but she has already left the room. I am alone again; my thoughts begin to wander back to the day I was stabbed.

*Flashback*

_"Hannah! Hannah, its okay, you can still help me" I pause for a split second, thinking about what to say next. I have to think carefully about what I say to her, my life is literally hanging in the balance. "Don't pull the knife out, alright? Its stopping the blood flow"_

_She looks at me, her face a mixture of fear, anger and guilt "I can't help you" she says, walking off in the opposite direction, leaving me alone in the basement corridor._

_"No, no! Hannah come back! Please come back…" what do I do now? I'm alone, my phone's in the other room from when I was talking to Dylan._

_"Help! Someone help me!" I yell, as loud as I can manage, hoping someone will hear me._

_My cries for help must have worked, as I see a young girl, 5 or 6 years old perhaps, walking down the corridor towards me. How did she get down here? Right now, that is the least of my worries._

_She walks over, kneeling down beside me and puts her hand on mine. "How do I get help for you?"_

_I look at her, she really wants to help me "You see those stairs over there?" she nods and I continue "Run up them, and you'll be in the hospital reception. Go to the desk and tell them there's been a stabbing in the basement. Tell them it's Polly. Can you remember all of that?" she nods again, but seems reluctant to leave "Good girl, thank you. I'll be alright, just go and get help!"_

*End flashback*

Forgetting all of my paramedic training, I panic at the flashbacks, violently shaking my head in an attempt to get rid of them. I only succeed in making the nausea worse again, the room is now spinning and I feel like I'm going to be sick.

Just as Dixie comes back in with Sam, I manage to pull myself into a sort of sitting position, although I am leaning heavily on the side of the bed, and vomit over the bed safety rails and all over the floor.

"Whoa! Okay, Polly, are you going to be sick again?" Sam asks, I can hear her but my vision is blurred and I can't distinguish between her and Dixie by sight alone. I don't try to nod my head again, but by way of explanation, I am sick again, tears welling up in my eyes.

Sam takes my hand in hers "Polly, squeeze my hand for a yes, okay? Are you going to be sick again?" when my hand doesn't move in hers, she nods to Dixie and lies me back down on the bed.

"I'm sorry…" I mutter weakly "I felt fine earlier."

"Don't apologise" Sam smiles "you're not the first patient I've had who has nearly been sick on me! How are you feeling now? Still dizzy, sick, blurred vision?"

"Not as dizzy...everything's still blurry though"

"Okay" she says, checking me over "We'll keep a close eye on you, but there were was nothing in your scans, so it could just be a bug going around the hospital. I'll come and see you later, yeah?"

Meanwhile, at Maya's house…

_Isobel, Maya's mother, POV:_

Maya hasn't been right for a couple of days now. She keeps complaining of getting headaches and feeling dizzy, she says that it hurts when she moves too quickly…the list goes on and on. I've taken her to the doctor, they say she's fine.

Suddenly I hear a loud thud from upstairs, Maya's bedroom, and I rush upstairs. I see her lying on the floor, blood spilling from a wound on her head where she has knocked it on the cupboard is currently staining the pale pink carpet and she is fitting violently.

"Maya?" I say tentatively, hoping this may get a response from my unconscious daughter. I get no response; enough is enough. I grab the nearest phone and call for an ambulance.

20 minutes later…

The ambulance is here, the paramedics have arrived and they are currently checking her for signs of spinal injury while I stand in the background, not sure what to do or say.

Once she is safely strapped into the back of the ambulance and her condition, Jeff, turns to look at me, clearly recognising me before I recognise him.

"Don't I know you?" he asks, watching my expression to see whether or not the penny will drop for me.

"I don't know, do you? Maybe…oh, yes of course, Jeff! How is Polly doing?" I ask, trying to take my mind off of what is happening.

"She's doing really well, thanks to this little one" he smiles at Maya, checking her again for any signs of consciousness; there are no changes yet, but at least her condition is stable.

After what seems like an endless journey, but which in reality was only 15 minutes, we arrive at the hospital. I am led out of the ambulance and through a maze of corridors leading to resus.

3 hours later, in ITU…

As promised, Sam comes back to see, confirming the diagnosis of a virus that is doing the rounds in the hospital.

Then Maya's mum comes to see me, looking very flustered and upset.

"Polly! How are you doing?" she asks about me first, though I can see tears in her eyes, so I am sure there is something else that is bothering her.

"Isobel? I'm fine, how are you and May-?" I stop, realising this must be the reason for her being so upset "What's happened?" I persist "is Maya okay?"

"She, she's downstairs, in, oh what's it called? Resus, she's in resus…" her voice tails off as realisation dawns on her "she fell at home, she started fitting. Now they're doing blood tests, and scans…"

"Oh god, I'm so sorry. I guess you haven't heard anything yet then?" Isobel shakes her head, looking to the floor.

_Isobel POV_

Sam returns again "Isobel! Glad I caught you… we have the results of Maya's scans…if you'd like to follow me, please"

I follow her downstairs, to the relatives' room where she shows me a computerised image of Maya's brain.

"Right, here, as you can see, there is an area of serious discolouration in comparision to the rest of the brain…" I can hear her talking to me, but I'm not really taking in what she is saying until I tune in again "We are looking at the possibility of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, but we don't know anything for sure yet…"

"What are you saying? That my daughter has cancer? Is it treatable?"

"Isobel, please, until we have the bone marrow test we cannot confirm anything, I'm so sorry. She's awake; would you like to see her?"

"Yes, please, my poor baby!"

The doctor leads me into resus where my daughter is lying in a hospital bed. Her eyes flutter open when she hears my voice "Mummy?" she croaks "I don't feel well…"

"It's okay, Maya, it's okay…mummy's here now" I say, stroking her hair.

I don't know what will happen next, but we will get through it.


	4. Chapter 4

_6 weeks later, Isobel POV_

The doctor has just come back to see me again. I've seen a lot of her recently, and other doctors and nurses; Maya hasn't been out of hospital since she was diagnosed with leukaemia, they said her immune system would be too weak.

She's been having chemotherapy since she was admitted, my poor girl, but the doctor says it isn't working as well as they had hoped that it would. What does that mean? That she is being put through all this for nothing?

"Isobel?" Sam says to me, and I tune back into what she is saying "As the chemotherapy isn't working, we need to find another option. Now, as Maya's leukaemia is not too far advanced, I think you should consider a bone marrow transplant…for that, obviously you, your husband and any close relatives that Maya has should be tested to see if they are a match for her. If not, we will look at getting a non-family bone marrow donor…"

"What are her chances?"

"If we can find a suitable bone marrow donor, very high. Without a donor, her survival rates are halved…I'm so sorry, Isobel"

"Can I see her now?" Sam nods, taking me to the children's ward where Maya is.

_Maya POV_

I don't know why I am in hospital. The doctor said that I fell, and that I am very poorly, something called leu-leukaemia, and that they are going to make me feel better.

People keep coming and giving me injections which make me sick and make my hair fall out when I am asleep. It used to be really long, but now it isn't…I don't mind, though; Mummy said it will grow back and she's always right.

"Mummy!" I cry, as she comes back into the room "Mummy, where's Polly? Is she still poorly too, like me?"

"No sweetheart, Polly's feeling better now, thanks to you!"

"Is she still in hospital? Can I see her?"

"Not just at the moment, Maya"

90 minutes later…

The doctor lady, Sam, said that I need to have an operation to make my leukaemia go away, and that they need to find the right person to give me some of their…their, erm…bone marrow, because mine doesn't work properly. Mummy and Daddy have had their special tests, but Sam said that they didn't have the right sort, so they have to look for somebody else now…

_Polly POV_

I can't take in what Isobel is telling me. Maya has leukaemia…poor kid, I think; that's all I can think about at the moment…

The chemo didn't work, so now they have to look for a bone marrow donor for her. A sudden idea comes to me as Isobel explains "Isobel! What if, what if I could be a match for Maya? I mean, I know I'd have to be tested, and see if I'm a match for her, but I have to at least try. Your daughter saved my life!"

She is silent for a few moments, seemingly stunned by my suggestion before she replies "Oh Polly, are you sure? If you were a match for her, it would mean another major operation for you as well as for her…are you sure _you're_ ready for it?"

"Yes. I'm fine now Isobel, honestly, and it's all thanks to Maya…if I can repay her, I'd like to! Please, at least let me try. Can I see her? Is she stable enough to have visitors?"

Isobel nods, leading me through to the room that Maya is currently occupying. I smile as I walk inside and see all the get well soon cards, including the one that I got her and everyone from the ED signed.

She seems to be sleeping, but as I sit down next to her, her eyes flicker open and she looks at me, a small smile creeping onto her face as she does so.

"Polly!" she squeals "Are you all better now?" she asks me innocently.

"Yeah, I am, thanks to you though! How about you though Maya? How are you feeling?"

Maya pauses for a moment, thinking about how to reply to my question "Some days I feel okay, but other days I don't. Sam said they need to find someone to give me some bone marrow to make me better, but I don't think they've found the right person yet…"

I take a deep breath, knowing that I can't tell her that I am going to be tested in case it gets her hopes up "Well, I'm sure they'll find somebody" I say brightly, although tears are welling up in my eyes, and I can only hope and pray that what I am saying to her is true.

5 days later…

My mobile rings and I run upstairs to answer it; the number isn't one that I recognise

"Hello, Polly Emmerson speaking?"

"Polly, hi, it's Emma from the labs. How are you?"

"Oh, hi Emma, I'm fine thanks, and you?"

"Very well thank you. I'm calling to give you the results of your bone marrow test, to verify whether or not you could be a donor for Maya Stevenson."

"Okay?"

"Well, the results are positive; you are a perfect match for her. It is quite unusual to find such a good donor outside of the family…"

"Wow, that's brilliant news! Thanks Emma"

"No problem, now soon you will receive a letter in the post which will ask you for your consent to be a bone marrow donor. Then, if you consent, you will receive another letter telling you what happens next"

"Okay, thanks, bye"

"Bye" I hang up the phone, feeling a warm glow inside of me.

"Someone sounds happy!" I hear Dixie say, as she comes and sits down on the bed next to me "what's the good news?"

"I'm a match for Maya! Emma said I'm a perfect match to be a bone marrow donor!"

"Well that is good news" she smiles, then adds, "Are you sure about this, Polly? You've had major surgery yourself, not that long ago!"

"Of course I'm sure! I wouldn't even be here if Maya hadn't found me that day, Dix. She's only 5 years old, she deserves a better chance at life and I can give it to her…can we go to the hospital, I promised Isobel I'd tell her as soon as I found out…"

"Yep, come on then. Get a jacket though; it's freezing out there again"

At the hospital…

Isobel hears me come in and looks up "Polly?" she asks "is everything okay?"

"Better than okay" I beam, unable to control my emotions any longer, I rush over and hug her, and then Maya who has just woken up "I just got the phone call from the lab"

"And?"

"And I'm a perfect match for her. I can give you some of my bone marrow, Maya, I can help make you feel better again!"

"Really?" Maya asks, giving me a bright smile "Does that mean I won't be poorly anymore?"

"It sure does, kiddo" I laugh, hugging her again. Sometimes, things do have a way of working out alright in the end.


End file.
